Cooking With Myra: Giving back can be hard work

With my mom so busy trying to marry me off, I figured I could help her out by taking over her column this week. I suppose I am soon to be in the fortunate position of having a constant and willing dinner companion, so I may as well put some forethought into what that might look like (sadly, without Myra).

I will soon meet my groom, all decked out in his tux, ready to commit himself to my cookin' for the rest of his life. The last time I saw Ben in a tux, he was pretending to be a waiter to two couples we had over for a fundraiser-type dinner.

I should explain - our church in Waco did an experiment called the "$5 challenge" where they gave each of the members $5 with the hopes that we would use our specific talents to either grow the money in a creative way and experience the joy of giving it back to the church, or by meaningfully blessing someone outside the church with it.

One young man used the money to buy art supplies and sell his masterpiece to generate a larger offering; another man bought candy to sell at the school he worked at to multiply his $5. Ben and I decided to sell a dinner party that we would serve to the highest bidder on Valentine's Day. We combined our $5, then added a little of our own money to pay for the groceries we had to buy to prepare the dinner - we considered this our contribution since the $5 had just been handed to us anyway.

When Valentine's Day arrived, I made him help me prepare in the kitchen all afternoon, then we set the table, lighted the candles, and I hid in the kitchen in my apron, while Ben greeted our guests at the front door, fully suited in his blackwatch plaid tuxedo.

A garlic tomato bruschetta was waiting for the two couples as an appetizer when they first arrived to our makeshift restaurant. I could hear them laughing and chatting at the table from behind the curtain we had set up to section off the kitchen, so they would not see their busy chef and the giant mess I had made preparing their meal.

We eventually moved to the main course of roasted vegetable orzo and a prosciutto wrapped rosemary chicken. Like a good waiter, or at least one hoping for a healthy tip, Ben diligently refilled their wine glasses and used his best manners, yes ma'aming and no ma'aming them appropriately, like a good southern boy. I was able to hide for the majority of the party safely in my kitchen, which seemed appropriate considering my attire (sweatpants and an old Baylor T-shirt as a stark contrast to Ben's tuxedo) until the couples made us join them for a board game they had brought over to buy some time to make room for dessert.

At the end of the meal, the couples requested a pretend check from their waiter Ben. On top of their contribution to our "$5 challenge," they ended up tipping the waiter quite generously. We not only had an excellent Valentine's Day, but Ben and I were also able to experience the joy of working hard to give back to something we believe in. It is interesting to see how people charged with such a mission, silly as a "$5 challenge" may seem, can suddenly display a way to creatively contribute to something they already profess to be invested in anyway.

We all perhaps just needed a little reminder that we should be using the specific talents we were given to further the goals of the establishments we support. Whether it be church, family or our jobs, each of us has a unique way that we specifically can contribute to its betterment. This cooking challenge was certainly one that called me to participate. Now, I suppose marriage will do the same .

Roasted vegetable orzo is actually Ben's absolute favorite food. This recipe is supposed to serve eight, and he usually eats the whole thing in about three sittings. It is fabulous for dinner parties because the colors and mix of ingredients make it very impressive looking, but it is not very difficult to make. The prosciutto wrapped rosemary chicken is even easier and requires very few ingredients.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss first vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a large baking sheet for 45 minutes, stirring once about halfway through.

Meanwhile, boil orzo according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

After the roasted vegetables cool, add them to the orzo (include all the tasty oils and seasonings as well).

Mix the dressing ingredients well and pour over the orzo and vegetables. Toss gently then refrigerate. When ready to serve, add the green onions, feta, pine nuts and basil to the orzo and again, toss gently to combine everything. Season to taste, and add more lemon juice if it does not stand out enough as a notable flavor on the first bite. Serve cool or at room temperature.

PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED ROSEMARY CHICKEN1 Tbsp. sea salt

1 Tbsp. freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. chopped rosemary leaves

4 slices prosciutto

4 chicken breast fillets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine salt, pepper and rosemary in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in mixture to coat both sides, and then wrap each fillet in a piece of the thinly sliced prosciutto. Arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over each piece of wrapped chicken. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.